Neck and back injuries are a common occurrence in recreational and sports activities, especially contact sports such as football and hockey. Ice hockey, in particular, is one of the most popular team sports in many parts of the world. It is a fast-paced game that combines players of many sizes together on the rink with high skating speeds and fast, furious action.
Hockey is known as a hard-hitting collision sport. Players risk injury from high impact collisions with each other, the rigid boards that mark the boundary of the playing surface, and the goalpost. However, most injuries are caused by deliberate player contact, e.g. checking and collision, as a normal incidence of offensive/defensive play.
The best method of preventing the types of injuries that occur as a result of head checking is to tell players that they should avoid making any contact with another player's head. But in some cases neck and back injuries occur as a result of accidental head-on collisions with players, the boards that surround the rink, or the goalpost. Players are encouraged to attempt to cushion their collisions with structural elements with any part of the body other than the head. In situations where head contact is unavoidable, players are encouraged to keep their heads up so that the brunt of the collision is taken on the forehead or facemask rather than the neck.
In this light, the present invention provides a device that will encourage a player to keep his or her head up in the proper position while on the ice as a means of improving player safety towards preventing the occurrence of neck and back injuries.